I have a 2001 Getaway that gets very rough use in the Gulf of Mexico, sailing off the beach in the surf. Long time lurker on this forum, only recently registered.

I wanted to give a warning to others of the same age boats to check for wear the bowtangs on the front crossbar as well as the fittings on each side of the jib swivel at the top of the forestay. Recently one of the tangs actually wore through (!) and my friend who was sailing limped back in. Then 2 weeks ago we had a dismasting when one of the swivel fittings (the yoke?) wore through. Of course we lashed the mast sideways and sailed in! The wear on these type of fittings is quite hard to see, so I wanted to give an alert to look closely.

Given the use this boat gets, this type of wear is to be expected. This is my third cat (I wore out the other 2 in the Gulf) and I've been sailing out there since 1980. Last year we did quite a bit of video and my buddy posted a compilation. Around the 3:30 mark is when the fun begins when he falls over and then we get hammered as the wind dies but the waves remain! Video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUMsr7Cu78c

I'd like to add my thanks to Matt for his excellent job moderating the forum as well as the insightful tips he gives! I'll close by saying that this boat takes an incredible pounding and keeps on going. Thanks Hobie!! Holland Young.